Eric Metcalf: Difference between revisions

Receptions:	541
Receiving yards:	5,572
Rushing yards:	2,392
Return yards:	9,266
Total touchdowns:	55

Eric Metcalf
No. 21, 82, 34, 22
Position:	Running back; Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	January 23, 1968 (age 56); Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Bishop Denis J. O'Connell; (Arlington, Virginia)
College:	Texas
NFL draft:	1989 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13
Career history
	Cleveland Browns (1989–1994); Atlanta Falcons (1995–1996); San Diego Chargers (1997); Arizona Cardinals (1998); Carolina Panthers (1999); Washington Redskins (2001); Green Bay Packers (2002);
Career highlights and awards
	2× First-team All-Pro (1993, 1997); 3× Pro Bowl (1993, 1994, 1997); NFL kickoff return yards leader (1990); Cleveland Browns Legends; Second-team All-American (1987); 3x All-Southwest Conference - Football; 2x SWC Champion - long jump; 2x National Champion - long jump;
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:
Receptions:	541
Receiving yards:	5,572
Rushing yards:	2,392
Return yards:	9,266
Total touchdowns:	55
	Player stats at PFR

Browse history interactively

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Eric Quinn Metcalf (born January 23, 1968) is an American former professional football player in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins and Green Bay Packers. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection for the Browns and the Chargers. He was also the 1988 US Track and Field Champion in the long jump and a two-time NCAA Champion in the same event at Texas. His father Terry was a running back for the St. Louis Cardinals.

High school career

Metcalf attended Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington County, Virginia. In high school Metcalf competed in both football and track and field. The records he set in the long jump, triple jump, 100, 200, and 400-yard dash still stand today.

In 2023, he was inducted into the Arlington County Sports Hall of Fame.^[1]

College career

Metcalf attended and played college football at the University of Texas at Austin where he was an All-Southwest Conference selection three times. He was the 1987 Southwest Conference player of the year and a second-team All-American. Metcalf finished his four seasons with 4,051 yards from scrimmage, 125 receptions, and 31 total touchdowns, while adding another 1,650 yards on special teams, with an average of 10 yards per punt return.^[2] He is the only player in Texas history to lead the team in all-purpose yards all four years. He holds every school receiving record for a running back.

Metcalf also had a distinguished career in track and field. In high school, he was a standout long jumper and sprinter, and still has the seventh longest distance ever posted indoors by an American high schooler with a jump of 7.75 meters. He also recorded personal bests of 10.54 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.34 in the 200 meters.

He set the University of Texas at Austin's long jump record (still current) at 8.44 meters (27'8"1/4). He won the NCAA National Long Jump Championship in 1986 and 1988 and the SWC Long Jump titles in 1986 and 1987. He was also the US Jr. National Long Jump Champion in 1986 and 1987. He earned the distinction of being a five-time All-American and in 1988 competed in the USA Olympic Trials, finishing 8th overall.

In 2002 he was inducted into the Texas Longhorns Hall of Honor and in 2017 he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.^[3]^[4]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	Vertical jump
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.46 s	1.58 s	2.59 s	33.0 in (0.84 m)
All values from NFL Combine^[5]

Metcalf was drafted in the first round with the 13th overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.^[6] A multi-talented player, Metcalf excelled at offense and as a returner on special teams. In his second NFL season, he led the league in kickoff return yards (1,052) and return touchdowns (two). He also led the NFL in punt return touchdowns in four different seasons (1993–1995, 1997). During his first six seasons with Cleveland, Metcalf was a running back and kickoff and punt returner. He set the rookie rushing record for the Browns and returned a kickoff for 101 yards in 1990.^[7] With the Browns he was an All-Pro once (as both a kickoff returner and a punt returner) and made the Pro Bowl twice both times primarily as a kickoff returner and punt Returner (other than returns, he also caught one pass for 9 yards).

In 1995 he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons along with the Browns 1st Round draft pick (#26 overall) for Atlanta's 1st round draft pick (#10 overall). Atlanta moved him to slot receiver in their Run and Shoot offense where he led the team with 104 receptions for more than 1,000 yards. At the end of the season, he became a free agent and signed with San Diego.^[8]

In San Diego he was again a receiver, and during his lone season there was again named an All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl primarily as a kick returner, though in that Pro Bowl he did have one rush and one reception.^[9]^[10] At the end of the season, the Chargers traded Metcalf, Patrick Sapp, the third and 33rd pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and their 1999 first-round pick to move up one spot to draft Ryan Leaf, often considered one of the worst trades in franchise history.

In Arizona Cardinals, his playing time was down and he didn't score a touchdown, but in the season finale, he returned a kickoff 46 yards to set up the game-winning field goal in a victory that sent Arizona to the playoffs. After one season with the Cardinals, Metcalf was signed and released by the Baltimore Ravens during the summer and fall of 1999 and was then signed by the Carolina Panthers, where he was unhappy and unproductive.^[11]^[12]^[13] He also became the first player in NFL history with 7,000 yards in offense and 7,000 yards in kick returns.

After sitting out the 2000 season, Metcalf was signed by the Oakland Raiders in the 2001 preseason and then released before the season started. In October he was signed by the Washington Redskins.^[14] He had an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown, the longest in the NFL that season, that set the record for punt returns for a touchdown (since surpassed). He did not return to the Redskins in 2002.

Late in the 2002 season he was signed by the Green Bay Packers for the last game of the season and the playoffs. Following the season he retired.

Overall, Metcalf finished his career with 2,392 rushing yards, 541 receptions for 5,572 yards, 3,453 punt return yards (5th best in history), and 5,813 yards returning kickoffs. This gave him a total of 17,230 all-purpose yards, ranking him 9th among at the time of his retirement (he had been as high as 7th earlier in his career). He also scored 55 touchdowns (12 rushing, 31 receiving, ten punt returns, two kickoff returns). His 12 returns for touchdowns are the third most in NFL history behind Devin Hester and Brian Mitchell. Metcalf's 10 punt return touchdowns were an NFL record, until October 2, 2011, when Hester broke it against the Panthers.^[15] Metcalf is 2nd all-time for punt returns. At the time of his retirement, he was 4th in Punt Return Yards, 8th in Kickoff returns, and 9th in Kickoff return yards.

In 2008 he was named a Cleveland Brown legend. As of 2023, he has been a Pro Football Hall of Fame nominee eight times, but never made it to semi-finalist.^[16]

NFL career statistics

Receiving statistics^[17]

Year	Team	GP	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lng	TD	FD	Fumb	Lost
1989	CLE	16	54	397	7.4	68	4	0	0	0
1990	CLE	16	57	452	7.9	35	1	0	0	0
1991	CLE	8	29	294	10.1	45	0	13	0	0
1992	CLE	16	47	614	13.1	69	5	25	2	1
1993	CLE	16	63	539	8.6	49	2	21	1	1
1994	CLE	16	47	436	9.3	57	3	21	2	2
1995	ATL	16	104	1,189	11.4	62	8	53	0	0
1996	ATL	16	54	599	11.1	67	6	33	0	0
1997	SD	16	40	576	14.4	62	2	24	1	1
1998	ARI	16	31	324	10.5	29	0	18	0	0
1999	CAR	16	11	133	12.1	33	0	6	0	0
2001	WAS	10	4	19	4.8	9	0	0	0	0
Career		178	541	5,572	10.3	69	31	214	6	5

Rushing statistics^[17]

Year	Team	GP	Att	Yards	Avg	Lng	TD	FD	Fum	Lost
1989	CLE	16	187	633	3.4	43	6	0	0	0
1990	CLE	16	80	248	3.1	17	1	0	0	0
1991	CLE	8	30	107	3.6	15	0	3	0	0
1992	CLE	16	73	301	4.1	31	1	12	1	1
1993	CLE	16	129	611	4.7	55	1	25	2	2
1994	CLE	16	93	329	3.5	37	2	12	1	0
1995	ATL	16	28	133	4.8	23	1	8	0	0
1996	ATL	16	3	8	2.7	4	0	0	0	0
1997	SD	16	3	-5	-1.7	2	0	0	0	0
1999	CAR	16	2	20	10.0	17	0	1	0	0
2002	GB	1	2	7	3.5	5	0	1	0	0
Career		179	630	2,392	3.8	55	12	62	4	3

Returning statistics^[17]

Year	Team	GP	PR	Yards	TD	FC	Lng	KR	Yards	TD	Lng
1989	CLE	16	0	0	0	0	0	31	718	0	49
1990	CLE	16	0	0	0	0	0	52	1,052	2	101
1991	CLE	8	12	100	0	1	30	23	351	0	24
1992	CLE	16	44	429	1	10	75	9	157	0	30
1993	CLE	16	36	464	2	11	91	15	318	0	47
1994	CLE	16	35	348	2	6	92	9	210	0	32
1995	ATL	16	39	383	1	14	66	12	278	0	47
1996	ATL	16	27	296	0	9	39	49	1,034	0	55
1997	SD	16	45	489	3	8	85	16	355	0	63
1998	ARI	16	43	295	0	7	24	57	1,218	0	59
1999	CAR	16	34	238	0	18	30	4	56	0	31
2001	WAS	10	33	412	1	5	89	1	25	0	25
2002	GB	1	3	-1	0	0	0	2	41	0	21
Career		179	351	3,453	10	89	92	280	5,813	2	101

Personal life

Metcalf coached football at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington; in the 2005–2006 season he helped lead the team to the state semi-finals. He also started an elite high school track and field club called Seatown Express. Metcalf has also assisted with coaching the University of Washington track and field team.

References

^ "Arlington Sports Hall of Fame will induct six new members". March 17, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ Eric Metcalf
^ "Metcalf inducted into Texas Sports Hall of Fame". February 17, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ "Eric Metcalf". Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ "Eric Metcalf, Combine Results, WR- Texas". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
^ "1989 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
^ Gosslin, Rich. "State Your Case: Eric Metcalf & his HOF moments". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
^ "Around the NFL". The Washington Post. May 10, 1997.
^ "Pro Bowl Rosters". The Washington Post. February 1, 1998.
^ "AFC NFC Box score". The Washington Post. February 2, 1998.
^ "Panthers Release Oliver, Sign Metcalf". The Item. September 9, 1999. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ Bush, David (July 24, 2001). "Idle no longer / After sitting out a season, Metcalf survives first Raiders practice".
^ "Ravens Sign WR Eric Metcalf". CBS News. July 3, 1999.
^ "Eric Metcalf signs with Redskins". October 24, 2001.
^ "Devin Hester Video: Watch Bears Star Break Punt Return Record". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ "Eric Metcalf". Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Eric Metcalf Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 28, 2014.

External links

Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · ESPN · Pro Football Reference

[1] "Arlington Sports Hall of Fame will induct six new members". March 17, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.

[2] Eric Metcalf

[3] "Metcalf inducted into Texas Sports Hall of Fame". February 17, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2023.

[4] "Eric Metcalf". Retrieved October 4, 2023.

[5] "Eric Metcalf, Combine Results, WR- Texas". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.

[6] "1989 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2023.

[7] Gosslin, Rich. "State Your Case: Eric Metcalf & his HOF moments". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 23, 2023.

[8] "Around the NFL". The Washington Post. May 10, 1997.

[9] "Pro Bowl Rosters". The Washington Post. February 1, 1998.

[10] "AFC NFC Box score". The Washington Post. February 2, 1998.

[11] "Panthers Release Oliver, Sign Metcalf". The Item. September 9, 1999. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[12] Bush, David (July 24, 2001). "Idle no longer / After sitting out a season, Metcalf survives first Raiders practice".

[13] "Ravens Sign WR Eric Metcalf". CBS News. July 3, 1999.

[14] "Eric Metcalf signs with Redskins". October 24, 2001.

[15] "Devin Hester Video: Watch Bears Star Break Punt Return Record". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

[16] "Eric Metcalf". Retrieved October 9, 2023.

[ESPN-17] "Eric Metcalf Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 28, 2014.

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v t e US National Championship winners in men's long jump
1876–1878 New York Athletic Club	1876: Isaiah Frazier 1877: William Livingston 1878: William Willmer
1879–1888 NAAAA	1879: Frank Kilpatrick 1880–81: John Voorhees 1882: John Jenkins 1883–86: Malcolm Ford 1887: Alexander Jordan 1888^{Note 1}: Victor Schifferstein
1888–1979 Amateur Athletic Union	1888^{Note 1}: William Halpin 1889: Malcolm Ford 1890: Al Copland 1891: Charles Reber 1892: Eugene Goff 1893: Charles Reber 1894: Eugene Goff 1895–97: Edward Bloss 1898: Myer Prinstein 1899: Alvin Kraenzlein 1900–01: Harry McDonald 1902: Myer Prinstein 1903: Percival Molson 1904: Myer Prinstein 1905: Hugo Friend 1906: Myer Prinstein 1907: Daniel Kelly 1908: Platt Adams 1909–10: Frank Irons 1911–12: Platt Adams 1913: Phil Stiles 1914: Platt Adams 1915–16: Harry Worthington 1917: Joseph Irish 1918: David Politzer 1919: Floyd Smart 1920^OT: Sol Butler 1921: Edward Gourdin 1922–27: DeHart Hubbard 1928^OT: Ed Hamm 1929: Edward Gordon 1930–31: Al Bates 1932^OT: Edward Gordon 1933–34: Jesse Owens 1935: Eulace Peacock 1936: Jesse Owens 1937: Kermit King 1938–39: William Lacefield 1940–42: Billy Brown 1943: William Christopher 1944: William Lund 1945: Herb Douglas 1946–47: Willie Steele 1948: Fred Johnson 1949: Gay Bryan 1950: Jim Holland 1951–53: George Brown 1954: John Bennett 1955: Greg Bell 1956–58: Ernie Shelby 1959: Greg Bell 1960: Henk Visser (NED) * Joel Wiley 1961–66: Ralph Boston 1967: Jerry Proctor 1968–69: Bob Beamon 1970: Bouncy Moore 1971–72: Arnie Robinson 1973: Randy Williams 1974: Bouncy Moore 1975–78: Arnie Robinson 1979: Larry Myricks
1980–1992 The Athletics Congress	1980: Larry Myricks 1981–83: Carl Lewis 1984: Mike McRae 1985: Mike Conley Sr. 1986–87: Carl Lewis 1988: Eric Metcalf 1989: Larry Myricks 1990: Mike Powell 1991: Carl Lewis 1992^OT: Mike Powell
1993–onwards USA Track & Field	1993–96^OT: Mike Powell 1997: Joe Greene 1998: Roland McGhee 1999: Kevin Dilworth 2000^OT: Melvin Lister 2001–02: Savanté Stringfellow 2003–04^OT: Dwight Phillips 2005: Miguel Pate 2006: Brian Johnson 2007: Dwight Phillips 2008^OT: Trevell Quinley 2009–10: Dwight Phillips 2011–12^OT: Marquise Goodwin 2013: George Kitchens 2014: Jeff Henderson 2015: Marquis Dendy 2016: Jeff Henderson 2017: Jarrion Lawson 2018: Jeff Henderson 2019: Ja'Mari Ward 2021^{2020 OT}: JuVaughn Harrison
Notes	Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, and since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event. 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.